Sperm whales change how they "talk" when ships are near

Sperm whales off Dominica don't just get louder near ships — they change the rhythm and pattern of their clicks, like shortening words in a noisy room. After four years and over 1,000 recordings, scientists could tell when ships were nearby just from how whales clicked. The study, in Ecological Informatics, suggests noise rules focused only on loudness may miss how ships disrupt whale communication. Slowing ships and rerouting them could help as much as building quieter ones.